ABSTRACT
The chapter contextualizes the major trends and landmarks in the dynamic evolution of the UN approach to peace, ranging from the narrower Cold War concerns of peace to the evolving expanse of positive peace, and the more recent holistic visions of ‘sustaining peace’ embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights ‘sustaining peace’ as the transformative trajectory of peacebuilding which no longer restricts it to post-conflict situations or the contexts where conflict is manifest or proximate. Peacebuilding thus assumes a much broader canvas and links up organically with conflict prevention and peacemaking. This conceptual transference reflects the continued expansion of peace discourses from their state-centric focus to larger societal concerns including social justice, poverty alleviation, women and youth empowerment for peace.
